Governor Uba Sani of Kaduna State has said the era of politics in the state is over, just as he promised to grant the 23 local councils financial autonomy.

Sani tasked chairmen of the councils to embark on projects that would touch the lives of everyone in the state. Speaking when the 23 local council chairmen in the state visited him, yesterday, Sani urged the chairmen to eschew political, religious or tribal sentiments in their dealings with the people. 

According to him, the local council is the most important tier of government because it is the closest to the people. He called on the local councils for support in building sustainable peace in the state.

Sani said: “The local councils in Kaduna have been enjoying financial autonomy in the past eight years, and our administration shall continue with that. Local council chairmen should focus on developmental projects. The era of buying items and distributing to the people is over. “

The state government will partner with local councils for joint projects on infrastructural development, but we need to know what project will benefit our people most.

“The era of politics is over. There should be no sentiments; no party, religious or ethnic differences in the projects. Safety and security is the major focus of our administration. We shall work closely with the local council administration to build trust with the people. Intelligence gathering will be used effectively. Our administration will prioritise development of the rural areas.”

Meanwhile, the Chairman, Association of Local Governments of Nigeria (ALGON), Kaduna chapter, who is also Chairman of Lere Local Council, Abubakar Buba, remarked that the council chairmen were at Sir Kashim Ibrahim House to congratulate Governor Sani on his inauguration, to pledge their support and readiness to work with his administration.